


The Slum Rat and the Wings of Freedom

by XianKar



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A Choice with No Regrets, ACWNR, Addiction, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Disabled Character, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rewrite, Sexual Tension, Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku | Attack on Titan: No Regrets, Slow Burn, Some Humor, World War I
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:20:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XianKar/pseuds/XianKar
Summary: After serving the English army in World War I, Erwin and Levi went separate ways. Now life has brought them together by chance again. However, war has changed them forever. Erwin thinks of their past together, of the days he watched Levi go from orphan thug to Captain in the army. From enemy to ally. And he wonders…  will he ever be able to bring back the young Levi he once knew?Or... rewriting ACWNR and SNK centred on Erwin and Levi’s relationship. Except is WWI and everyone lives. Nobody dies.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Comments: 23
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note that this is a long, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers story!  
> This turned out longer than I expected. I Initially planned to write the second half of the story (which I already have) where Levi and Erwin meet again after the war, but then found myself wanting more moments of young Levi/Erwin. I decided to start from the middle of the story, then go back to the beggining from where they meet, because we don’t get to see enough of young Levi/Erwin interact. The story then continues from the second half. 
> 
> I will be posting weekly updates every Sunday, and may throw in another chapter during the week when possible. 
> 
> This is basically a fix-it fic in a historical AU, but I’m also a sucker for angst (only if it has a happy ending, tho)
> 
> There will be 3 "arcs" in this story that can be summarized like this:  
> "enemies to friends" (all about the sexual tension), "friends to lovers" (a mix of angst, fluff, comic relief and smut) and "lovers" (domestic fluff, hurt/comfort, and smut). So, it'll be a roller coaster through many years of relationship between them.

_London, November 25, 1918_

_King’s Cross Station_

From his seat in the train, Erwin looked out the window and watched the people come and go in the crowded station. Soldiers coming back from everywhere in Europe, back to their homes, back to their families. Fathers, sons, husbands, he watched them reunite with their loved ones, and his chest felt suddenly a little lighter.

He pulled out his pocket watch; it indicated a quarter to 7. He still had another 15 minutes before departure, yet he was beginning to feel anxious again. He looked around as if searching for something, or someone.

A few days ago, his best friend had sent him a letter asking him to visit her family in Birmingham, arguing she was too busy with her patients at the hospital to go right now. Her parents had passed away and left everything to her. She had also told him to look after the farm, and that she would send someone to help him until she got there.

Yet there he was, 15 minutes before departure, and nobody had come.

He confirmed once more with the clock at the station. It was almost time to leave, yet there was no sign of anyone yet. He opened his bag, and took out his friend’s letter, re-reading it just in case he got the time wrong.

Who was this other person, anyway? Would it be someone he knew?

He was thinking about this when someone took a seat in front of him.

“Erwin?” The man in front of him stared at him in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”

“Levi…” He looked at him, equally surprised. “Are you-" He stuttered. "Did Hange ask you to come?”

He sighed, somewhat annoyed. “I didn’t know I would be going with you.”

“Neither did I”

A long, awkward silence filled the room, until the loud steam whistle indicated it was time for departure.

Erwin stared out the window, thoughtful. His palm began to sweat. He hadn’t seen Levi in more than two years now. What would he talk to him about? He wanted to avoid talking about the war at all costs, but what else was there to talk about right now? Birmingham was at least three hours away. It was going to be a long ride.

After a few minutes, a man came to collect their tickets. Erwin blessed him in his mind for filling the unbearable silence between them.

“Tickets, gentlemen.”

They both handed the tickets. The man poked a hole in them, then gave them back.

“Have a good trip”.

Both nodded at him, politely, and watched him leave as silence took over again.

After a while, Erwin spoke.

“So,” he began, “Do you have any experience with farming?”

“I don’t know about farming, but I’m good with a shovel. I’m used to digging graves.” Levi said, leaning against the window, arms crossed. “Don’t know if that helps”.

“Well, at least you will be of more help than I will”, he said, raising his only good arm.

Levi turned to him, fixing his eyes on the empty sleeve where his right arm used to be. “Certainly”. He agreed, sourly.

A second later, Levi had closed his eyes.

 _I guess I could try to sleep too_ , Erwin thought.

Erwin closed his eyes for an hour or so. The soft rocking movement of the train had helped him fall asleep for at least a few minutes. When he opened his eyes it was already dark. Levi sat there in the same position as before, staring out the window now.

Erwin observed him in silence. For a moment, he thought maybe he had been dreaming.

He watched Levi closely. His hair looked the same. His face, his clothes. Everything was the same, except for that crease growing between his brows. They were both around 30 now, he reminded himself. It seemed crazy to think they had known each other for ten years now. He wondered if Levi had also thought he looked older when he first saw him. Curious, he couldn’t help looking at his own reflection on the window. When he did, he caught a glance from Levi staring at him.

“You are awake too.” Noted Erwin. It was a stupid comment, but it was all he’d got.

“I don’t really sleep,” Levi said. “Not anymore”

Erwin wondered what he had meant, yet decided it was better not to ask.

“You should sleep.” Levi advised, accommodating himself in his seat. “We’ll get to Birmingham around 9:30. Then we’ll have to ride for another hour.”

Erwin nodded in silence. Yet he had no intention to sleep.

What kind of circumstances had led them there? Ending up on a train towards a village in the middle of nowhere? He could not begin to understand.

He thought of the boy he had met 10 years ago, of the boy he himself used to be, and could not match his memory with the grim-faced man sitting in front of him. He closed his eyes, and summoned the memory of that young man who had once been full of life.

* * *

_London, May, 1908,_

_The Devil’s Acre_

The streets of the Devil’s Acre were busy with shirtless men feeding the fires of the factories. The smoke teared the eyes of the occasional curious, rich tourist wandering around. At the very heart of the slum, the most dangerous gangs gathered inside a dirty old bar, the floor covered in mud and ale and blood.

In such a place, the image of two neatly-dressed young men stood out from the crowd.

One of them, tall and serious, blonde hair hiding under a gray, woolen cap. Deep blue eyes and furrowed brows staring at someone across the bar.

By his side, another man read a newspaper. Even though his clothes were definitely those of a middle-class young man, his skinny build and sharp features resembled those of a woman. Eager eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses.

“These newspapers are a joke. Nothing interesting.” 

“That’s because you are only interested in science stuff, Hange.” The blonde said, without turning his gaze to the girl.

The girl put down the newspaper. “Well, that’s because science _is_ the only thing that is interesting.”

“Whatever you say, science freak…”

“Hey, just because you are Sargent now, doesn’t mean you can make fun of me.”

“I would never dare.” He teased, taking a sip of his beer.

“Anyhow…” She looked around, feeling suddenly aware of the place’s hostile atmosphere. A chill ran down her spine. “Remind me, why the hell are we here again?” She whispered to his ear.

“Collecting information.”

“In a god-forsaken tavern?”

Erwin rested his enormous palm on Hange’s head and forced her to turn into the bar’s direction, where a group of suspicious-looking men sat and whispered about something. A man in a red coat seemed to be their leader. “That man over there. He is our lead. I’m sure he is somehow connected with the traffic of weapons in here.”

Hange gulped. “Couldn’t we have waited for him in a safer place?”

“You have to be where the action is”.

“Why don’t leave this to the police? We have work to do”.

“If I want to get into the intelligence department, I’ll have to gather experience in things like this.”

Hange sighed. “So, that’s what this is all about…”

Erwin took a long drink from his beer, ignoring her comment.

“Listen, Erwin, I know you are eager to prove yourself and all that, but you were promoted not too long ago. You should focus on following orders and doing your job. You are the youngest sergeant in the whole army, there’s no rush-“

“Sh-“ He pressed a finger to her lips. The man he was targeting began to move. “Look, he is leaving”.

He rushed to the bar to pay their bill, his eyes still fixed on the man.

Hange ran behind him. “Wait! Erwin, watch out-“

Before he could turn, he felt the impact of a small body against him, the coldness of beer running down his chest.

“I’m so sorry sir!” A young boy looked at him with worried eyes behind glasses that were evidently too big for him, just like his clothes. He was holding a half-empty pint of beer. “I’m sorry I- I didn’t see you!”

Erwin turned towards the door, and the man in red had left already.

He sighed. “Damn it, kid. Watch where you are going.”

The anxious looking boy apologized endlessly, patting Erwin’s jacket with a handkerchief. “I’m terribly sorry, sir! I- I would buy you a drink to apologize, but I haven’t got a penny!”

“It’s fine.” He said, slapping his hand away. “Just be more careful next time.”

“Yes, sir!” He cried and left in a rush.

Erwin sighed. “Hange.” He called, fixing his clothes. “Let’s just pay and get out of here. What a waste of time.”

“I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’, but-”

“Then don’t say it”

He turned to the bartender behind the bar. “Just the two beers, please.”

“That would be one shilling.”

Erwin slipped his hand inside his jacket to reach its inner pocket, where he kept his wallet.

“What’s wrong?” Hange asked, noticing a hint of panic in his face.

Erwin desperately patted down the rest of his pockets.

“That little brat,” He grunted. “He took my wallet”.

-

On the other end of the Devil’s Acre, a young man walked the dirty streets proudly playing with the prize he had just stolen. He removed the fake glasses he was wearing and put them in his pocket. He removed his cap, revealing a silky, black hair. For someone living in a slum like this, his hygiene looked remarkable.

 _What an idiot,_ they young man thought, chuckling to himself as he thought of his recent victim.

He kept walking, and after a while he turned into an alley. Three other men were standing there. They all turned when they noticed him.

“Levi.” The man in a red jacket looked slightly surprised to see him, perhaps even scared. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“I wasn’t. But you left me no choice.” He replied in a deep voice that didn’t quite match his youthful appearance. His height clearly made him look much younger than he probably was.

He stepped forward, and the three men straightened up. “That was close.” Levi said. “That guy at the bar was prying around and you didn’t even notice. I had to jump in to stop him. You owe me”.

“What were you doing there dressed like that in the first place?”

Levi smirked. “Listening to some interesting conversations.”

The man in red tensed, yet he tried to keep calm. “What do you want from us?”

Levi stepped closer to him. He stuck his hand into the man’s shirt’s pocket to grab a cigarette. “I want my share.”

“What share?” Complained the man beside him. “We never agreed to-“

“I don’t think our friend in common would like to know you were doing business with someone else, do you?” He asked in a condescending tone, bringing the cigarette to his mouth.

“This was not part of the deal! We never-!”

The man in red put his palm up to indicate his subordinate to stop talking. With his other hand, he reached for a box of matches, and lighted the cigarette for Levi.

Levi took a long puff, and released the smoke in his face, then extended his hand as if waiting for something.

The other man handed him a bunch of bank notes, which Levi put in his pocket with a grin on his face.

“Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen. Have a great evening.”

-

Night came and the city fell into total darkness, lightened only by the few fires that kept the homeless warm at night. After a long day of work, Levi was ready to go home - if that old building could even be called that-

Right before he reached his street, a red-haired girl and a young man appeared at the corner.

“Levi!” The light-haired man waved at him in a familiar way. “There you are!”

The ginger girl ran towards him. “You are late!” She said, “Furlan and I were worried, we were about to go looking for you.”

“I had something to take care of, Isabel,” He said as he handed the other man the stack of papers. “Here, I got a little extra for my ‘overtime’. You’re welcome.”

Furlan’s eyes widened in amusement. “I hope you didn’t get into much trouble for this.” He counted the money. “This should be enough for that boy’s surgery.”

“Just make sure he pays back. We are not a charity. We are thugs.”

“Yes, yes. We know.” He said, putting the money away. Then gave Levi a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Thank you.”

“What else have you got there?” Asked the girl, curiously looking at the wallet Levi held in his hand.

“Nothing”. He put it back in his pocket. “Just some idiot’s wallet”

Furlan shook his head. “Levi, why do you keep doing that? You are a gang leader now, you don’t need to expose yourself like that.”

Levi shrugged. “I don’t know. Habit I guess.”

“Let’s see?” The girl snatched the wallet out of his hand”

“Oi-” Levi complained, yet let her look at it regardless.

“Woah!” The girl opened her eyes wide. “Levi, you got a good one this time! This guy is from the army!”

“The army?” Levi’s eyes narrowed slightly with concern. “What are those fuckers doing down here?”

“You think they know about the weapons?” Asked Furlan, concern written in his face.

“No”. Levi denied with confidence. He snatched the cardboard identification from Isabel’s hands and took a good look at the black and white picture glued to it.

“He is handsome”, observed the girl.

Levi’s thin, black eyebrows twitched. “You got terrible taste, Isabel”.

His reaction made Furlan chuckle. “Oh well, I doubt it’s anything to worry about for now.” He began to walk towards the old building in front of them. “Shall we go? I’m starving”.

“You two go ahead.” Suggested Levi. “I’ll hang out here for a little longer. See you guys inside.”

“Alright”. He said, then headed inside. The girl followed him.

Levi found some crates lying around in a corner and made himself comfortable there. Cigarette in mouth, hands behind his head. When he put his feet up, his eyes twitched at the sight of mud and blood dirtying his boots. He wiped the heel of his boot and crossed his legs, then took out the wallet again. He emptied it and examined it closely, looking for something that could indicate what the army wanted with his neighbourhood.

Levi had problems with the police in the past, but until then, he had managed to keep them under control by bribing them. But the army? That was something new. He wondered what had brought them there.

He looked at the ID again and studied the picture.

 _Erwin Smith. 22._ _Sergeant._ He read with curiosity.

 _Sergeant? So young?_ He wondered.

He gave the picture another glance and chuckled at it. “Those are really stupid-looking eyebrows”. He commented to himself.

“I believe that belongs to me.”

A voice suddenly came from behind him. Levi gasped, dropping his cigarette in surprise.

Before he could turn, a long arm had reached over him and taken away the ID from his hand. He tried to grab it back, but he was not fast enough.

He turned, and the tall blonde from the picture was now standing in front of him.

Levi got on his feet, trying to hide the evident surprise on face.

“Oh.” He smiled, cynical. “I happened to find it on the street. Here you go, sir.” He gave him the wallet, then slowly stepped back again.

Erwin put the wallet back in the pocket where it belonged.

“Did you, now?” He asked, yet it was not really a question. His tone was polite, but the seriousness of his face felt like a threat.

Levi gulped. He instantly knew he could not play dumb with this man.

“How may I help you, Sergeant?”

Erwin stood straight, hands solemnly behind his back. “I need you to tell me about the weapons that have been circulating around here lately. Who is the supplier?”

 _Shit._ Levi cursed to himself. “Haven’t heard anything about it.” He lied, faking indifference.

“Your friends from the bar seem to disagree”.

 _Those fuckers,_ Levi thought. T _hey ratted me out._

Levi threw his hands inside the pockets of his oversized pants and took a step forward.

“And why would I tell you anything?” He smirked in a challenging way, slightly tilting his head to the side.

Erwin lowered his gaze, letting out a short laugh, then stepped forward. He observed the abysmal height difference between them. He now smiled politely, slightly bending to get to Levi’s eye level. His expression suddenly darkened.

“I don’t think you understand your situation, _Mister Ackerman_.”

Levi’s eyes widened. How the hell did he know his full name? This guy was not wasting time.

“Oh?” Levi raised his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have guessed a gentleman like you had friends down here. Perhaps you are not half as decent as you look, _Mister Smith_.” He mocked him, scanning him from head to feet. “Visited some local brothels lately?”

Erwin’s jaw tightened, making Levi grin with satisfaction, for he knew he had hit a nerve.

Erwin took another step forward, leaving almost no distance between them. “I would choose my words more wisely if I were you.”

Levi felt a chill down his spine. _This man is dangerous_. An alarm rang inside his head. He had to get out of there, plan something on the spot.

He stepped back and looked over the tall man’s shoulder. “Now!” He yelled, frantically. “Shoot him now!”

Erwin instantly turned, bringing a hand to his gun, ready to shoot.

But there was nobody behind him. Not a single soul around.

When he turned again, Levi was already gone.

“For Christ’s sake.” He grunted.

He had fallen for it again.

* * *

“HAHAHA!” Hange’s laugh echoed in the headquarters as she heard Erwin’s story.

He stared at her, arms crossed, unamused.

“Are you here to laugh at me, or to help me catch him?”

“I’m sorry.” She said, wiping her tears of joy. “It’s just hard to believe a skinny little boy bested you like that.”

“He is not a boy.” He aggressively threw a stack of papers over the table. He read the report to her out loud.

“Levi Ackerman. 18 years old. Orphan, born and raised in the slums. Leader of a gang. He has been in and out of prison since he was 12. Countless charges of murder and trafficking, yet he buys his way out every time somehow. Scotland Yard stopped caring long ago.”

Hange made a painful expression. “Sounds like something I wouldn’t want to get involved in.”

“Well, too bad, because you are helping me regardless.”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes”

She sighed. “Fine, as long as you buy me coffee”.

Erwin squinted, “I buy you coffee every morning anyway”.

“So”. She ignored him. “Where shall we start?”

Erwin shook his head. “I don’t know, you tell me. Any ideas on how to get him to speak? He definitely knows something”.

“Hm.” She brought a hand to her mouth, thoughtful. “You said he was talking to two other members of the gang in front of an old building, right?”

“Yes, but I already told you. I went back there; the building was empty. They must operate from many different locations.”

She nodded. “But if we can somehow get a hold of the other two…perhaps we can negotiate”.

Erwin scoffed. “We are talking about gangs, Hange. These slum rats don’t care about anything or anyone else other than themselves. The other three members gave Levi away for only a couple of shillings.”

She shook her head. “Doesn’t sound right to me. Maybe they held a grudge against him or something. These gangs are usually pretty tight.”

Erwin scoffed, his nose wrinkling as he sipped his coffee. It tasted more bitter than usual. “You think too highly of them”.

“Hm, we’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how I imagine young Levi to be before life slapped him in the face, so his personality resembles a little more to Kenny’s at the beginning of the story. We also don’t really get to see Erwin’s less serious side usually, so I thought it would also be nice to have them interact in more casual ways.


	2. Chapter 2

_ London, May, 1908 _

_ Army Headquarters _

“Two weeks…” Erwin whispered to himself as he stared at the untouched food on his plate. Hange was looking at him with concern from across the table. “It’s been two weeks, and still nothing.”

“Relax, we’ll find him eventually.” She comforted him.

He didn’t seem to hear her.

“How can he disappear just like that!?” Erwin slammed his fists on the table. “I don’t get it. The city is not that big”

“OK,” Hange moved away his plate from him. “I think it’s time for you to stop obsessing about this guy and”

Erwin pointed a finger at her. “I’m not obsessed, I’m determined. It’s different.” He said, taking his plate to finally start eating.

“Looks the same to me.” She muttered into her glass of water.

“You know what?” Erwin got on his feet. An idea seemed to have sparked in his head. “Let’s go undercover again.”

“No, please. Not again, Erwin…”

“Come on, you used to like these kind of things.”

Hange put her glass down. “First of all, we are not kids anymore. I am a scientist and a doctor with a reputation to look after, and I am too old and scared to get scolded by Commander Pixis. Second, you don’t even have a plan.”

Erwin sat down, grabbing his head with his hands.

“I’m never going to get into the intelligence department,” he said, dramatically.

“OK, how about…” Hange begun with the first idea that crossed her mind. “Oh, I know. Let’s just lure him with money… maybe some jewels or something like that”.

“Jewels?” He asked, skeptical. “He is not just some pick-pocketer, he is the leader of a gang. We are talking about trafficking here.”

“Well, he did steal your wallet, didn’t he? He might do it just for fun. Some adrenaline junky, or an old habit perhaps”.

After giving it some thought, Erwin agreed. “We have nothing to lose I guess”.

“Ok, then, we’ll need a bait.”

Erwin turned to her. “You can dress up as a fancy lady and have them follow you. We’ll corner them and I will be waiting with my men to catch them.”

“No, that won’t work. It has to be someone else. If he is as smart as I think he is, he’ll recognize me. He already saw me once at the bar with you.”

Erwin nodded, then looked around. A girl with short brown hair was passing by, holding books in her hand. He recognized her from the new trainees that had signed up a few days ago.

“Petra”, He called her. The girl looked around, as if unsure he was talking to her, then walked to him.

“Sargent Smith.” She saluted.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?”

The girl blushed, confused. “I-I, uh, no. No, I don’t have any…sir.”

_ This guy is a jerk. _ Hange thought as she shook her head.

“Great, I need you to do something for me.”

-

That night the Devil’s Acre was livelier that ever. Women in colorful nightgowns in every corner, music on the streets. It was already beginning to look like summer in the slums.

Levi and his friends had just finished running an errand. The fruitful business of tobacco trafficking had brought them enough earning to spend a night out enjoying themselves.

“Cheers!” Furlan raised his beer mug. Levi and Isabel clashed theirs against his, then chugged down the whole thing. Except Levi, who stared at his beer thoughtfully.

“What are we even celebrating?” He asked.

“Hey, we have been able to keep the army away for good two weeks now. Isn’t that good news?” Noted the girl.

“I guess”. Said Levi. “But I’m tired of moving around now. It’s annoying.”

“They’ll eventually give up on us”, cheered him Furlan. “Just like the coppers did”.

Levi nodded, then looked out the window. The regular ambiance noise of shootings and fights in the slum had ceased for many days in a row now, the unusual peace felt somehow disturbing.

Suddenly something on the streets caught Levi’s attention.

A young woman dressed in fine silks and a fur coat, too warm and too fancy for the time and place. Levi moved to the window and sat on the windowpane to take a closer look. A sudden, faint shine flashed across his eyes. The woman’s silver necklace with encrusted diamonds reflected the light of the streets.

“What’s up?” Asked Isabel.

Furlan stood by Levi’s side to look at what he was looking at.

“Oh? Since when are you so interested in girls?”, he observed.

Levi elbowed him, unamused. “Her necklace, you idiot”.

“Yeah that’s nice too,” he noted.

“Is she trying to get herself killed or something?” Isabel asked, confused.

“Maybe she is an expensive whore,” noted Furlan, his eyes following the girl as she entered a brothel.

“She’s not from here,” Levi said with certainty. “Somebody sent her here. I bet it was that Erwin twat.”

Furlan frowned, puzzled. “For what?” 

Levi downed his beer in silence, then put his glass down. “Let’s find out.”

-

Inside the brothel, Erwin was hiding behind a curtain. Kneeling on the floor, gun on hand, observing Petra’s every movement. He watched her talk to the owner, who they had paid in advance to book the place just for them. Other 4 soldiers in disguise awaited in every corner of the building, expectant. Another 4 soldiers, including Hange, waited outside.

They waited and waited, yet nobody showed up through the entrance door.

After a while, Erwin heard the slight crack of the old wooden floor behind him.

“What are you up to now, Sargent?” Someone had whispered behind his ear.

He attempted to turn, yet Levi had already put a knife to his throat.

“Call your friends and I’ll slit your throat before they can get to me.” He threatened, pressing the knife until it left a small trace of blood on Erwin’s throat.

“You are trapped here,” said Erwin. “As soon as you step outside, my men will shoot you.”

Levi could not figure if he was bluffing or not. He decided it was better to play it safe. “Let’s keep it quiet then,” he hissed.

Erwin tried to move, but Levi only pressed the knife harder against him.

“Where are your friends?” Erwin became talkative whenever he wanted to mask his fear. “Do you think yourself so powerful to stand against the army alone?”

“Oh, no. I just wanted some time alone with you. How thoughtful of you to pick the perfect place." Erwin looked around, and the sudden realization of being in a brothel made him slightly uncomfortable. "How nice of you set all of this up for me. I’m flattered.”

“Yes, well, you gave me plenty of time to plan it.”

“No need to look so sad about it. Did you miss me that much?”

Erwin went suddenly quiet. His eyes traveled around the room, nervously.

“What happened, sergeant? You were so talkative a moment ago.” He chuckled. “I can feel you blushing from here. Have you ever been to a brothel before?”

Erwin struggled to break free again, a futile effort. Then asked again, “why did you come if you knew it was a trap?”

Levi’s voice suddenly became serious. “Because, you see, Erwin, you are not the only one who has questions.”

Erwin gulped.

“I want to know what the army is up to. Scotland Yard has not stepped in this rat den in years. So why is the Crown now suddenly interested? Why the army?”

A sudden gunshot outside interrupted Levi’s thoughts. His gaze went unconsciously to the window.

Erwin used that opportunity to turn the tables, easily pinning him against the floor. Levi tried to fight him back, But the strength difference was evident. Erwin’s strong grip forced Levi to drop his knife. Erwin pointed his gun under his chin, feeling Levi’s agitated breath under him.

Another gunshot, and Levi’s eyes deviated towards the window again. Despair on his face.

Even Erwin was now curious. What was going on out there?

Levi struggled to move under him. Erwin debated whether to shoot him or not, afraid to risk the chance to get the information out of him. Perhaps it was the moment to negotiate. But with what?

Before Erwin could speak, the shooting had reached the walls of the building downstairs. Erwin ducked covering his head with his hands, in case a bullet reached him.

The shooting continued, followed by loud screams.

“Isabel! Furlan!” In a desperate act, Levi gathered all his strength in his legs to push Erwin off of him and rushed outside through the window.

Erwin followed him.

The street was a complete mess. Bodies piled all around, gunfire across the streets. He searched for Hange in the middle of chaos.

“Hange!” He saw her finding cover behind a crate. “Are you alright? Where is Petra?

“Shit! This was not supposed to happen!” She said, loading her gun. She could have not been able to foresee this gang fight.

“Everyone is fine! But this is getting out of control, let’s get out of here! Go back!” She ordered the rest of the men.

On the other side of the street, Levi looked for his friends. “Furlan, Isabel!” He yelled in distress, shooting anyone who would stand in his way until he got to them.

Erwin watched Levi and the other two run into an alley. He observed him talking to them, indicating something as they nodded. Then all three headed in different directions.

_ This is my only chance. _ Erwin thought, following Levi down the alley from a distance.

When Hange saw him go after him, she grabbed him with all her strength. “Where do you think you are going!?” She yelled, but ended up with his jacket in her hand.

She wanted to go after him, but two of their men were injured, and she couldn’t leave them. She had to lead them back safely to the headquarters.

“Damn it, Erwin!”

-

Levi walked slowly and silently on a side street, making sure nobody would see him. When he heard the gunfire far away enough, he relaxed a little, and rested his back against a wall. From the corner, he observed every movement on the streets.

A second later, he heard the loud clash of a broken glass. He looked up, and before he could see who had come out of the window, he found himself held with his face against the wall. A strong hand holding the back of his head, the other one gripping his hands behind his back.

“You are going to tell me everything you know now,” Erwin’s voice was loud and clear behind his ear.

Levi did not even attempt to fight back. He knew a lost battle when he faced one.

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll kill you.” Erwin’s grip tightened, pushing Levi against the wall with his body and bending his arm until he moaned in pain.

“Then you’ll never get to know anything,” Levi snarled.

“Better that than letting scum like you roam around free.”

Levi yelled again in pain. “I’ll die before I speak”.

“I can arrange that”.

They stayed like that for another moment, then Levi heard the click of a gun loading. He looked up, and a man was pointing at them from the window.

“Erwin!” He yelled, and Erwin looked up.

Before he could react, he felt Levi’s body against him on the ground. A sharp pain in the back of his head.

Levi had pushed him back to avoid the bullet. Erwin had landed on the ground, acting as cushion for him. The impact had numbed his senses, releasing Levi’s hands.

Levi began to run, leaving Erwin half- conscious on the ground.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned around and saw the hitman and the window loading his gun once again. If he left, Erwin was surely going to die.

In the last minute, Levi grabbed Erwin’s gun from his belt and gave the hitman a clear shot. His body dropped dead beside them.

Erwin was on his knees, struggling to get up, his head still spinning with the impact. He looked up, panting, and realized it was Levi who had given the shot. It was over, he was holding his gun.

He waited for what he thought would be a certain death. He closed his eyes, waiting for Levi to pull the trigger.

But instead, he felt the sound of a splash. His gun lying on a puddle in front of him.

“Move, you idiot.” He heard Levi say.” There’s more coming”.

Levi started running. Erwin struggled to get on his feet, picked his gun, and ran behind him in silence.

They heard footsteps coming in their direction. There was a wagon parked at the end of the street, where they took cover.

They waited in silence, until they were sure the people were gone.

“Are they not with you?” Whispered Erwin.

“No,” Levi said, without turning to him.

Erwin looked at him, puzzled. Studying his face closely. “Why did you save me?”

“I didn’t save you. He was going to follow me if I didn’t shoot him.”

“Then why didn’t you kill me after?”

Levi now turned to him.

“I told you, I have questions. I can’t let you die just yet.”

Erwin held his gaze for another moment. Then Levi looked away.

After some hesitation, Erwin grabbed his gun and held it against Levi’s back.

“You can ask all your questions when we get to headquarters then”.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. Really? Just when I thought I started to like you.”

Watching Erwin’s serious, immutable expression, Levi sighed, disappointed.

“Look. There’s no way you are walking out of here alive with me restrained. They’ll shoot you as soon as they realize you are a copper”.

“I’m not a policeman, I’m a soldier”.

“Same shit”

Erwin pressed the gun harder against his back. “You are just saying that, so I let you go. I’m not falling for your tricks again, Levi.”

Levi shrugged. “Up to you. You are the one who is getting killed. I can just walk away free, so…”

Erwin could still hear some shooting in the distance.

“Damn it,” He muttered. Then got on his feet lifting Levi with him, forcing him to walk close to the wall.

Levi waited for another moment of distraction, then gave Erwin a head butt on his stomach, making him crouch.

“Shit!” Erwin pointed his gun at him. Yet even with his finger on the trigger, he watched him disappear into the darkness.

-

Erwin and Hange were standing in front of a desk. A bald man sitting behind , staring at them in silence. Several books and binders with army reports in front of him.

“Two injured officers. One dead, and a traumatized new trainee.” The man said in a severe tone. His expression was rather peaceful, which made the situation even more disturbing. Warm eyes and a faint smile stretching his face.

“Commander Pixies, sir!” They both saluted impeccably. A drop of cold sweat run down their face.

“I will say this just one time.” He said, sitting behind his desk, hands held together. “You are absolutely forbidden to go into the Devil’s Acre again”

“Sir, if I may-“ Erwin began.

“No, you may not,” He gave him one look, and Erwin’s lips were sealed. “I am still considering whether or not to demote you.”

Erwin bit his tongue and lowered his gaze, fists shaking.

Hange’s eyes widened with concern.

“Sir, it was my fault.” She claimed. “I was the one who planned it”

Erwin’s arm stretched in front of her. “Please, sir. It was I who came to her for help. I accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate”

“Commander, you can’t-”

“Oh, I certainly can,” The man said. “But I won’t”

He scratched the skin of his bald scalp, then let out a sigh. “It’s too much trouble. I was the one who suggested making him Sergeant, even with everyone against it. It would look bad on me.”

Erwin felt a rush of blood to his cheeks, shame all over his face. Commander Pixies could be drunkard and an eccentric, but he was wise and Erwin trusted his judgment more than any of his superiors. He was the man he respected the most.

“My sincere apologies sir. I will not let you down again.”

The man pulled out a tiny bottle from his inner pocket and drank its contents.

“Erwin,” Pixies got on his feet and rested a hand on Erwin’s shoulder. His voice was soft, “trust me. This is not something you should mess with. You are getting into politics. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into. You are going to get yourself killed.”

Hange’s eyes brightened. “So, you knew about it? You knew about the weapons, Commander?”

The man shook his head. “All I know, is that someone in the government has their noses in there, and until we confirm who they are selling to, and why, our hands are tied.”

They both sighed in disappointment.

“For now, I’m going to need you to focus on finishing your reports.” He grabbed the binder from the desk and passed them to him. “And a little extra. Consider it my own form of punishment.”

“But sir, some of these are your reports…”

“Dismissed!”

“Sir!” They saluted in unison and felt the room.

* * *

_ London, June, 1908 _

_ The Devil’s Acre _

From the top of an old building, Levi sat silently on the window ledge, cleaning his knives thoroughly.

He stared out the window. The sky, the intense blue of dusk. Dark and hazy, nothing like the summer-like days before.

He observed a girl crossing the street in a fur coat, and his mind instantly flashed back to the night of the brothel incident. It had been three weeks since then.

He thought of the gunfire. The people dead on the streets. He had seen dead people before, he had even killed a few. But this time had been different.  _ It could have been them _ , the thought, and the image of Furlan and Isabel’s body lying dead on the filthy streets disturbed his mind. He thought of Erwin. Of how he had almost been taken away by him, and how a second later he had let him go. Why had he let him go?

He thought of Erwin’s grip tight aground his wrists, of how easily he had seized him, and the knife he was holding almost slipped his fingers.

That man was dangerous. He had to keep Isabel and Furlan away from him at all cost.

“Levi? Are you listening?” Furlan and Isabel discussed something in the back.

“What?” He turned to them, distracted.

Isabel took away his handkerchief. “For how long have you been cleaning your knives now?”

“Not long enough,” He argued, taking it back.

She bent down to his eye- level, and squinted, as if trying to see through him. “You have been acting weird lately”.

“Piss off,” He said.

“Levi, if it’s about that night…” Furlan jumped in.

He had been injured that night outside the brothel. Nothing serious, but a bullet had gone close to his hand, leaving a burning scar.

“You should sleep,” Levi said, working on his knife again.

“What about you? You haven’t been sleeping much” Isabel was beginning to sound impatient.

“I need to stay alert, they’ll come any time”

“Levi,” Furland spoke in a soft tone. When it came to reasoning with Levi, it had to be him. “Stop worrying, I already told you. It was not the cops. Nor Erwin.”

Levi’s eyebrows twitched when he heard that name.

“It was one of those other gangs that were fighting. We just happened to be in the middle of it.”

Levi buried his knife in the wooden pane. “We had never had trouble with other gangs before. Ever since Erwin appeared around here, everything is getting messy. The army is getting involved in something big and I’m going to find out what.”

“Why do you care?” asked Isabel, genuinely curious.

“I happen to be the leader of our gang, remember? If my business is going to be affected, I need to know so I can be prepared”

The other two gave him a warm smile.

“That’s why you are our leader,” said Isabel.

Levi said nothing, but ran his hand through her hair, messing with it.

“Hey!”

Furlan chuckled, then turned to Levi. “He’s probably given up, you know? It’s been weeks now. I don’t think the army is coming back”

Levi remained silent.

“Alright, I’m going to bed. We have a big deal tomorrow,” Furland continued.

Isabel followed him. “You are right, I’ll head to bed soon too. So should you, Levi”.

“I will”

They bid goodnight, and went to bed. Except for Levi.

-

Back on the other side of London, Erwin walked home with a huge stack of papers and binders with endless reports to fill and sign. The neighbourhood was neat and the streets were wide. Two story buildings, all aligned and looking the same for blocks and blocks. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Erwin rented a place by himself. He didn’t like staying at the headquarters, and he didn’t really have many acquaintances to have a roommate, other than Hange. But he knew Hange visited her family in the countryside often, and the rest of the time she stayed in the headquarters.

When Erwin reached his place, he had to put the binders down to get his keys. When he did, he heard a noise coming from the tree behind him. He paused, and slowly dragged his hand to his gun.

“Nice place you’ve got here, Sergeant”

Erwin turned. He could hear Levi’s voice yet he couldn’t see him.

“How did you find me?”

Levi suddenly dropped from the tree beside his house, gracefully landing on the pavement.

“You are not the only one who has friends around the city.”

“Why are you here?” Erwin grunted.

Levi raised his hands “Oi, oi. No need to get so defensive. I’m just checking on you. You’ve been very quiet lately. If I didn’t know you any better, I would have thought you gave up”.

“I’ve been busy with... other things.” Erwin felt awkward about giving excuses to a criminal.

“What things?”

“None of your business”

“I doubt anything more important than myself”

Erwin sighed. He had been working overtime for the past three weeks, and he still had a ton of paperwork to go through. The least thing he wanted was to engage with his games.

“What do you want, Levi?”

Levi brought his hands to his pockets and walked closer to him.

“What do  _ you _ want, Erwin?”

“Right now? To kill you”

“Bullshit” He claimed, a smirk on his face. “You had the chance the other day, you didn’t take it.”

“And you came all the way here to tell me this?”

“No”. Levi scoffed.

He lowered his gaze, thoughtful. Why had he really come? Even he wasn’t sure.

“What do you  _ really _ want, Levi?” Erwin now walked towards him. “You have money. You have power. Why do you keep doing this?”

“Doing what?”

Erwin raised his arms, then shrugged. “I don’t know.  _ This _ ”

“I don’t understand what you are trying to say”

“If you want more money, I’ll give you money. I just tell me what I want to know.”

“I don’t want your stupid money.”

“What, then? You want a house like this? I’ll arrange something with the army for you, if you tell me who is your supplier.”

“I’m not interested in living around snobs like you, I’ll pass.”

“Then what the fuck do you want?!”

If there was any calmness in Erwin’s voice before, it was now all gone. He grabbed Levi by the collar of his shirt. Levi brought his hands to Erwin’s wrists to prevent him from choking him.

“Why do you keep dealing with weapons? Do you even know what you are getting yourself into? This is bigger than you think. You are getting involved in politics.”

Levi shrugged. “A deal is a deal. I don’t ask questions. They don’t ask me either”.

“Listen” Erwin’s voice softened again, his hands now gripping Levi’s shoulders. “You are a smart guy. You are also skillful. Why don’t use your skills for something better?”

Levi’s eyes went to Erwin’s hands, losing track of what he was saying. Other than Furlan and Isabel, it was the first time someone had touched him so familiarly. He scoffed, yet his expression softened.

“Yeah? Like what? Like being a soldier?” He asked, hesitant.

“Why not?” Erwin was staring at him with determination.

Erwin’s deep blue eyes pierced him like a dagger. His gaze was so overwhelming, Levi almost thought he could convince him for a second.

After a long while, he slapped Erwin’s hand away and turned his back at him.

Erwin gasped, offended by his rejection.

“Do you even know how many people die because of this?!” He yelled. “Why?! Why not use this information to help your country instead of destroying it!”

That last comment seemed to trigger Levi.

“People die in this country everyday already and nobody gives a shit!”

It was the first time Erwin had seen him lose his cool.

It was now Levi who grabbed him by his shirt.

“Don’t come to me with your moral speeches, soldier. This country is rotten to the core. The king leaves people like me to die like rats in the slums. He lets people like you die out there fighting his wars, just so he can keep living his filthy life the way he does”.

Erwin took some time to digest his words. Then spoke carefully.

“People die in the slums because of people like you too, Levi”. He finally said. “How many have you killed with your own hands? How many of your weapons took the lives of innocent people in the crossfire just the other night? And before that?”

Levi did not answer. Instead, he turned around and slowly began to walk away.

The sound of Erwin’s gun loading made him stop.

“Who said you could leave?”

He turned around, and Erwin was pointing his gun at him.

“You have the audacity to come here unarmed,” Accused him Erwin, offended. “Who do you think I am?”

“Come on, Sergeant.” Levi sighed. “We both know you need me alive.”

“I do”, Erwin’s finger trembled against the trigger. “But I could shoot you and torture you until I get the truth out of you.”

Levi smiled faintly.

“Good night, Erwin”, he said as he turned and slowly walked away.

Erwin kept his arms up pointing at him. _I can shoot his leg._ He told himself. _Shoot his leg._ _Do it._

H _ e  _ pointed at his leg. Levi was moving so slow he could easily shoot him without killing him.

But he couldn’t.

It felt wrong. Whatever the circumstances, Levi did save his life the other day after all.

He lowered his gun.

“Fuck!” He muttered, running a hand over his face with frustration.

-

Furlan woke up when Levi entered the room in the middle of the night. The three friends had shared a room ever since they met a few years ago. Before that, Levi had been living by himself. Sometimes in a room, others, on the street. He had only one distant relative, his deceased mother’s friend. He had always seen him more as a mentor than as family, however. He had learned everything from him. From how to read to holding a gun.

Yet that man was now gone. Levi never knew where.

All he knew was that the two people that slept soundly beside him in that room everyday were everything he had left in this world.

“Can’t sleep again,” Furlan asked as he entered the room.

“Sorry to wake you up. I just went for a smoke.”

“Strange time to have an urge for a smoke in a fancy neighborhood.” He said.

Levi removed his vest and his shoes, then lied by his side.

“Furlan?”

“Yeah?”

“Is there anything in this world that you want?”

He turned sideways to look at him, puzzled. “I haven’t really thought about it. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Levi brought his hands behind his head. “I don’t know. I guessI haven’t thought about it either. I mean… I used to want money. Now I have money. So what next?”

“Do you guys ever think of leaving this place?” Isabel jumped in suddenly. She had been listening the whole time.

They stared at her in silence.

“We could get a house,” she said.

“I think we should do it,” Furlan agreed.

Levi frowned at the idea. “And live like snobs? No thank you. Besides, we would still need a lot of money to buy something outside the slums”

“We don’t have to.” Noted Furlan. “We can get a nice cottage in the countryside. Away from all the noise of the city.”

“We don’t even know how to run a farm”

“Don’t worry I’m good with animals. I took care of a bird once” Said Isabel

“Birds are not farm animals,” Furlan chuckled, messing with her hair. “But nice try”

“It doesn’t matter, we can all learn!” She said enthusiastically. "Levi can clean, you can cook, and I'll take care of the animals!"

The three of them laughed.

A long silence followed, then Levi spoke.

“I guess it doesn’t sound so bad”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is centered around Erwin/Levi but I do want to introduce Eren and company in a few chapters. However, I will not go into writing Eren’s mental breakdown or the whole Marley/Eldia conflict here -that’s material for a whole different World War II Nazi Germany AU- Which by the way I’m already thinking about as a sequel for this, most likely for when the canon series have ended and we don’t know what to do with our lives -although I’m sure somebody has written something along that line already, so if you happen to know a fic like that, don’t hesitate to recommend it in the comments- But I can’t deal with the angst of the final season right now so this will be my comfort fic to go to after Sundays’ episodes. 
> 
> I don’t really have any other ships I feel strongly about (Except for Ymir/Historia which I love almost as much as Erwin/Levi) But I will be hinting some interactions as we go, so let me know if there is any specific ship you’d like me to include. 
> 
> That being said, I do like Marco/Jean quite a bit. I also like the idea of Reiner/Berthold and Armin/Annie.
> 
> So, if you have any preferences, let me know in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

_ London, 1908 _

_ The Devil's Acre _

It was still dark when Levi and his gang left that morning. Dawn was the only time when the Devil’s Acre saw some rest. Only a few drunkards ending their nights on the streets, and the men that headed towards the factories to start a long day of work.

It was the perfect moment for running an errand without being noticed.

Levi, Isabel and Furlan headed towards a pub. The only pub that was open for business that early in the morning. The business, however, had nothing to do with alcohol or entertainment.

They met at that place once a month with the same person. Every month, their dealer would bring them a bag full of weapons: pistols, rifles, and other guns that Levi did not even know how to use. He had always been more of a knife person.

Today, however, something was different.

Levi looked around discreetly. He caught a glance of a couple of men wandering around, slowly, gun-in hand. Levi indicated his friends to stay behind and proceeded towards the pub with precaution. Levi noticed a wagon parked on the side of the street. It was an expensive one, not like the ones he was used to seeing around. A red flag immediately alarmed him. When they reached the entrance, a man got out of the vehicle.

“Good morning, mister Ackerman.” A short, somewhat chubby man, neatly dressed, greeted him.

Levi had never seen him before.

“Who are you? Where is the regular guy?” he asked, impatient.

“My assistant was, right,” The man observed, an unamused expression in his face. “You have no manners.”

_ So, he is the one _ , Levi deduced.  _ He is the man that provides the weapons. _

“Manners don’t pay my bills, sir. Guns do. Are we doing business or chatting?”

“Business, of course,” the man stepped aside to let Levi into the wagon. “Shall we?”

“I rather do it in the pub like always.”

“I assure you, after you take a look around, you will change your mind.”

He looked around. The men he had seen a couple minutes ago now stood beside his friends, guarding. Furlan and Isabel gave him a subtle look of concern, and slightly shook their heads, begging him not to go. Levi did not have to think twice to get in that wagon. The man followed and closed the door behind him.

Furland and Isabel stood there staring at the wagon with impatient eyes. After a few minutes, they sighed in relief when they watched Levi walk out of the vehicle unharmed and carrying a bag that looked heavy.

“What the hell was that?” Asked Furlan once reunited with him.

“A job,” he snarled, annoyed, “one that we cannot refute, apparently.”

“What kind of job?” Inquired Isabel, her eyes on the leather bag. “More weapons?”

“Not just that,” Levi explained, a sour expression on his face. “We’ll have to get rid of Erwin Smith.”

Both gasped, speechless.

“I’ll explain the rest on our way.”

The gang continued their way to do their business as always. Delivering weapons to their regular clients. No questions asked, no small talking. Just the quick, mechanic transaction, as if selling groceries at the market. The less they knew about how those weapons would be used, the more it helped them sleep at night. It was a routine, one they had followed for a while. Everything was the same every time. Except this day Levi was quieter than ever.

Levi reviewed his last conversation with Erwin in his mind. He recalled something about getting into politics. He realized Erwin had been trying to warn him.

“That idiot,” he thought out loud as they walked the streets towards their last deal.

His friends turned to him, puzzled.

Levi finally decided to explain the situation to his friends. “I knew something was going on with the government.”

“That man is a politician?” Asked Isabel.

“Seems like it. And he controls most of the arms industry, not only here, but in most of the country. That idiot Erwin had to stick his nose and get himself in shit.” He grunted, running a hand through his face in frustration. “Why couldn’t he just let it be? He was prying too much, and this guy doesn’t want the army involved, so now we need to get Erwin out of the way.”

“So, I’m guessing… basically, we have to do it, or they’ll kill us.” Isabel concluded.

The other two sighed, at the idea of an impossible task like killing Erwin.

“Will we at least get a lot of money for it?” Furlan always tried to look at the bright side.

“Tons”, said Levi.

The other two widened their eyes.

“Enough to buy a cottage in the countryside?” Isabel asked, enthusiastically.

“Enough to buy one each” Levi looked at them dead serious.

“That’s great!” Isabel said, clapping her hands.

“They’ll never let us leave,” Levi’s voice was dry. “Even if we manage to somehow kill Erwin, we are already in the army’s records. They’ll track us down and arrest us. That is, if our “ _ new boss” _ doesn’t find us first and kill us. We have already seen his face. He’ll never let us get alive out of this.”

“So, either way we are screwed?” Noted Furlan, forcing a smile.

“Pretty much…”

“It will be fine!” The girl cheered them. “You’ll see! We are the best gang around here, nobody has caught us so far. We can do it. We can get away from here if we take this job!”

Furlan sighed. “Well, if we are screwed either way, might as well try”. He shrugged.

Levi hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

“We’ll think about that later. We still have one more deal to go.”

The last client of the day always waited for them at the same pub. It would always make Levi anxious, the place was covered in dirt and reeked of death.

“Let’s do this quickly,” he said, as he entered the pub.

The place was busier than usual. A loud violin playing lively Irish tunes in the back. A great setting for this business. The more people, the less they were noticed.

They sat at the usual table, where a man awaited for them. His face hidden under a hooded cloak. Levi signaled his friends to grab a drink from the bar. Being in a pub, they had to look the part. He waited for them to go.

Without turning to the man in front of him, Levi slipped a leather bag with two guns inside it under the table.

The man grabbed it, and Levi waited for him to slide the money over the table, like he always did.

Except this time, he did not.

Instead, Levi felt the heaviness of cold steel resting against his thigh. The click of a gun.

“Erwin sends his regards,” The man suddenly said.

Levi’s hand slowly went to his pocket, where he kept his knife.

“Try something and I’ll blow off your balls.” The man said. “I’m not as keen on you as Erwin is.”

Levi’s hands froze. His eyes traveled around the room discreetly, looking for his friends. They were still at the bar getting a drink.

Levi put his hands up in surrender. “You got me this time,” he chuckled.

He watched the man in front of him get on his feet. In a quick movement, Levi kicked the table up and forward to crush the man under it. The man fell over, and a loose bullet flew up to the ceiling.

The crowd instantly gasped in fear, crouching and lying on the floor to take cover. Even the music stopped paying for a moment.

Then other two gunshots echoed in the room. Levi turned. He knew the sound of Isabel’s and Furlan’s guns when they fired.

After that, everything was chaos. Levi and his gang split and ran into different directions, several men in cloaks going after them. They tried to get out through the windows, but all the ways out were blocked.

Levi climbed the stairs in haste. Halfway there, the man sitting in front of him a moment ago had caught up with him. He violently grabbed Levi by his anckle and threw him down the stairs.

Levi landed sideways on the old wooden floor. A familiar, puncturing feeling of broken ribs.

He grunted in pain as he tried to get up.

“Mike.” Erwin’s voice finally appeared behind them. “I told you we wanted him alive.”

Levi was facing the man named Mike. He was tall and blonde like Erwin, but he has a distinguished beard. The man shrugged, then walked towards Levi to seize his hands.

He pushed him down against the floor crushing his back under his foot. Face against the floor.

“It’s over.” Levi heard Erwin say.

“Levi!” Isabel cried from upstairs. A muffled scream from Furlan followed.

Levi’ reaction was to push the man’s foot back with his body. Yet the man kicked him again until he stayed still.

“We have your friends,” continued Erwin. “Stop fighting and no one will be hurt.”

Levi heard another pair of footsteps walking towards him.

“Oh? So that’s him?” A female voice said. “It’s ok now, Mike. Just cuff him, he won’t go anywhere now that we have his friends.”

The pressure against his back was now gone. His hands were cuffed behind him.

The man pulled Levi’s hair to force him look up.

A girl with dark, auburn hair and funny glasses was looking at him with eager eyes.

She studied his face, gripping his jaw to turn his face side to side.

Levi jerked his head away from her, but the man behind him pulled his hair again to hold him still.

“Woah! Don’t hurt him!” The girl begged, “I haven’t finished studying him, I would like to run some tests. Tell me, Levi, you are an orphan, right? How exactly was your diet during the first years of your life?”

“Hange-” Erwin’s voice was imperative. “Not the time”

The girl moved back.

Erwin now kneeled in front of him.

“There is no point in running now. You and your friends are coming with us.”

“And if we don’t?”

“I think you know what’s going to happen.”

They were going to jail. Levi knew it. He grunted in frustration at the thought of it. He had missed the chance to kill Erwin. The only chance to finally escape from that place and leave everything behind. His chance was right in front of him, yet he could not do anything about it _.  _ It was infuriating.

_ Either way, if I chose to talk or not, the end result for me would be the same,  _ he concluded. He looked behind him, Isabel and Furlan looked at him with worried eyes, their faces bruised, mouths covered with a cloth. He shut his eyes hard.

“Fuck!” he muttered behind clenched teeth. His face red with frustration.

“I’ll give you a second chance,” Levi looked up, almost jumping at Erwin’s unexpected words, “…If you join the army”.

“Are you fucking with me, Erwin?”

Erwin’s face was dead serious. Levi spit on the floor, then spoke.

“And be the king’s dog? Work for the Crown? What has the Crown ever done for us?!” He snarled, his jaw tightened with wrath.

“True,” he acknowledged, “But you have two choices. You can sit here and cry about it, die like any other orphan thug, and be forgotten. Or you can stand up and do something about it. So, which is it going to be?”

Levi’s throat hurt when he gulped. Cheeks burning red with humiliation.

“I need you…” Erwin’s voice was suddenly warm. Those three words were enough to make Levi’s hair stand in the back of his neck.

Levi hesitated for a moment, then chuckled. “You need me, you say? And why should I care about what you need? Let me guess, you promise me a place among the army, a home, the pride and glory to serve this country.”

“No” Erwin got on his feet now. “If I offered you that, I would be lying. I may be a cold-blooded monster, but I’m no liar.”

Levi took a moment to study his face, then decided he was speaking the truth.

“The path I offer you is cruel and merciless. You will know no love, and face death everyday. However, you and your friends will be free from this place. Free from this lifestyle.”

Levi stared for a while longer, eyes wide open, shocked by his honesty. Then let out a sincere laugh.

“Oi, Erwin, you should never attempt to give motivational speeches.” Levi said with a faint smile. “How many soldiers have you recruited like this before?”

“None”. Erwin said with a straight face.

Levi sighed, defeated. “To hell with it. My life has already been cruel and merciless, anyway. How much worse can it get?”

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

_ London, June, 1908 _

Levi was sitting in the car in silence. It was not the first time he had been in a car, but the unfamiliar motion and the roaring of the engine was distressing. The fact that he was unarmed and restrained, sitting side by side with Erwin Smith did not help.

Erwin was behind the wheel. He glanced at Levi subtly through the mirror, then focused on the road again.

“How are your injuries?” he asked.

Levi couldn’t help to wince at the sudden reminder of the sharp pain on his ribs.

“It’s fine,” he scoffed.

Erwin squinted, observing Levi’s bruised face through the mirror, blood still fresh on his lower lip. He slowed down, pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket, then reached for Levi’s face’s to press it onto his lips. Levi jumped at the unexpected touch.

“Oi- What are you-“

“Press it down, it’s still bleeding.” Erwin waited for Levi to grab the handkerchief, then brought his hand to the wheel again.

Levi grabbed it, hesitant at first, then pressed on his lip in silence. He looked out the window, thoughtful, seeking for his friends in the other cars that followed behind them, hoping that Erwin kept his promise of not hurting them in exchange for his information.

“They are fine,” Erwin assured him, as if he could read his mind. “If you are going to be part of the army now you need to start trusting us.”

Levi chuckled. “Since we all trust each other so much, how about we start now by removing these handcuffs?” He raised his bounded arms towards him, yet Erwin’s eyes remained fixed on the road.

Erwin smiled faintly. “Sorry, but I’m driving. I can’t risk having you lose around me with my hands busy on the wheel.”

Levi sighed, lowering his arms. “I already told you everything I know,” he said, “you have all the names of my clients. If I ever go back to the Devil’s Acre I’m as good as dead. Where do you think I would even go now if I escaped?”

“You still haven’t told me who is the supplier.”

“I told you, I never saw his face nor knew his name.” He lied. “All I know is he's in the government.”

Erwin turned to him. His gaze going from the road to Levi, back and forth. He tried to think of a reason why Levi would be lying, yet he could not.

A long silence followed.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble for this?” Levi said all of a sudden.

“Me?” Erwin's bushy eyebrows frowned at him, puzzled. “Why would I be in trouble?”

“I don’t know...weren’t you supposed to stay out of this case?”

Erwin now turned to him, slightly surprised. “How do you know that?”

Levi shrugged, “I figured you had to let it go because there was no sign of you for weeks. That’s what happened with the police before. And you were so persistent, you don’t seem like the kind to give up easily. Someone above you must have ordered you to mind your own business.”

Erwin raised his eyebrows in silence.

Levi smirked. “So, if your superiors forced you to drop the case, then why risk disobeying them for something uncertain? You must have found some important information before you got to us.”

Erwin couldn’t help a grin as he fixed his eyes on the road again.

“You really are more than just a pretty face, aren’t you?”

Levi flinched in disapproval. “Why don’t you just let it be? You are going to get yourself killed.”

Erwin chuckled. “It’s funny that you say that. A person I respect a lot said the exact same thing a few days ago.”

“Then why don’t you listen?” He hissed, annoyed.

“This information you have given me is a great lead, Levi.” He smiled with confidence. “I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this with your help. We are going to be a great team.”

Levi scoffed, looking away, uncomfortable.

_ We would have, in another life perhaps _ , he told himself with regret.

It was already dark when they got to the headquarters. Erwin stopped the car, and they remained there sitting for a while. After another moment of hesitation, Erwin spoke.

“I don’t know what exactly is going to happen with you and your friends. My commander approved of you joining us, but the decision relies on the rest of the higher ranks as a collective.”

Levi frowned, opening his mouth to protest. Before he could speak, Erwin turned to him and threatened him with a finger on his chest.

“Do not do anything stupid until then, or you’ll ruin everything. You hear me? You are on thin ice.” Erwin leaned forward, poking his chest again. Levi brought his tied hands in front of him by instinct to protect himself. He glared at Erwin in silence, waiting for him to move away.

“Understood?” Erwin insisted with intimidating eyes. His knee brushed against Levi’s as he moved closer, making Levi move back with his back against the door.

“Yes. Alright. Understood”, Levi replied in haste, aggressively, “Fuck...” he muttered, lowering his gaze.

Erwin scanned him with his eyes up and down, skeptical. “And try not to swear too much.”

Levi’s neck tensed as he swallowed his own words.  _ I’m going to break your pretty face, I swear to god. _

Erwin then slowly got out of the car and walked around it to open the door for Levi.

“Let’s go.” He offered his hand to help him out.

Levi ignored him, and struggled to get out of the car without using his hands.

“Levi!” Hange called with enthusiasm as she got out of her car. Isabel and Furlan followed her, safe and without a scratch. “Come! I’ll show you to the barracks!”

Levi looked at Erwin from the corner of his eye. He nodded, and Levi followed them into the direction of the barracks.

Erwin watched him leave, and headed towards the headquarters.

“Sergeant,” Mike joined him and they walked together.

“Thank you for your help today,” said Erwin.

“Don’t thank me yet until we are sure we won’t get in shit,” he said, lighting a cigarette.

Erwin smiled, “I already talked to commander Pixis before the mission, there will be no consequences for any of you.”

“And he approved?” he asked, slightly surprised. “You didn’t tell us that.”

“I bet everything on this. If we failed, he would demote me. If we succeeded, I would keep my rank as sergeant. If I told you that you wouldn’t have come.”

Mike scoffed. “Like I have a choice to say no.”

Erwin chuckled.

“How were you so sure Levi would talk?”

“I wasn’t,” Erwin said with a straight face.

Mike blinked, “So you just bet everything on this random thug?”

Erwin shrugged. “If you don’t take risks, you can’t win.”

“You are fucking crazy, Erwin.” He said, taking a long puff from his cigarette. “That’s the only reason I like you.”

Erwin smiled, flattered. “It’s all thanks to Hange and to you too,” he said, squeezing his shoulder in a friendly way. “Thank you, Mike.”

“I still don’t approve of your decision to let a gang of thugs into the army. That was never part of the plan.”

“Well, lucky for me, I’m the sergeant here. You don’t have to approve.” he joked.

“Yes, that’s really lucky. Or else I’d break your neck.”

Erwin laughed. “OK. I’m heading home now, good night.”

“See you tomorrow at the briefing.”

* * *

The barracks were dirty and crowded. The smell of sweaty bodies of strangers in the air. Levi was particularly unamused, rolling from side to side in his bed, unable to sleep. He waited until everyone seemed asleep, then turned to the side where Furlan was sleeping, and softly shook him to wake him.

“Furlan”, he whispered.

“I’m awake,” he had been the whole night.

“We need to talk, let’s go somewhere else.”

“What the hell are we going to do now? You are not seriously considering staying in the army, are you?”

“Fuck no, are you stupid?”

Furlan sighed with relief. “Thank god. You scared me a little back there. The way you talked to Erwin… it was very convincing.”

“Shut up. We need to find Isabel.” Levi was already getting out of bed and putting his pants on.

Furlan pulled his arm to force him to stay.

“Are you crazy? Levi, you can’t cause trouble on our first night here. Stay put, we’ll find a way to talk to her during lunch or something.”

“How can you say that? You know how troublesome she is. She can never keep her mouth shut. She’ll get into a fight.”

“I wonder where she got that from…” Furlan muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. Listen, she will be fine. Let’s think things through and talk tomorrow. Ok?”

“Fine,” Levi scoffed, undressing again. When he placed his pants on the bed frame, something fell on the floor. He bent down to grab it and realized it was Erwin’s handkerchief. Levi’s blood now brown and dry on the neatly embroidered “E.S.” initials. His fist clenched around it and it crossed his mind to throw it far away. But after a second thought, he decided to keep it.

_ I’ll give it back to you when I break your face, so you can wipe it with it. _

* * *

Next morning everyone gathered in the yard for the briefing. Soldiers standing in line from highest to lowest ranks around the platform where the commanders gathered to give a speech.

Furlan and Levi struggled to dress in their new uniforms, running late to the meeting. They were not sure where to stand, so they looked for Isabel in the crowd.

She was standing at the end, lively chatting with a brunette girl. Her face seemed familiar.

“Isn’t that the girl from the brothel?” Asked Furlan, recalling the night of the gang fight.

“I think she is, you are right.”

Isabel waved at them discreetly when she saw them coming. She looked enthusiastic and cheerful as ever.

“See? I told you, you were worrying for nothing,” Furlan accused.

“I don’t know where she got her social skills from, but definitely not from us,” he acknowledged.

A loud trumpet interrupted the chatter, and suddenly everyone stood still and quiet. The listened to “God Save the King” play. When everyone started singing, Furlan had to give Levi a kick on the shin to get him to sing. Levi threw him a glare and sang reluctantly. He always found the music dull, and he wasn’t particularly fond of the king. Bored, he looked around, searching for Erwin. He was standing on the side of the platform with the other sergeants and captains in the first rows. It was the first time Levi had seen him in his uniform. Before, he had always seen Erwin dressed in civil clothes. His appearance suddenly hit differently. Somewhat intimidating, and slightly older. He wasn’t sure if he would confront Erwin the way he did if he had encountered him looking like this.

If Erwin was nervous, his face did not show at all. A million thoughts crossed his mind as he sang the anthem almost mechanically, awaiting for the commanders’ decision. After a while, he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned, and Levi was staring at him. They exchanged a quick glance, then Levi turned to the front, where commander Pixis was beginning his speech.

Levi heard him talk about many things he didn’t quite understand. Something about numbers and funds he could not care less about.

“Our decision has been made regarding yesterday’s incident.” He finally mentioned something of his interest. “Thanks to sergeant Erwin Smith, we have limited criminal activity in the slums and confiscated several weapons.”

There was a pause for a round of applause. Levi watched Erwin blush and grinned with malice at his troubled face.

“We also welcome our newest trainees…”

There was a moment of silence. Everyone turned to them.

Levi looked at Erwin, as if asking what to do. Erwin’s eyebrows raised impossibly high, eyes open wide, a look that said: “just say something”.

Levi cleared his throat. “I’m Levi Ackerman,” he said in a dry, unmotivated voice.

The bald man smiled. “Sir…” he added.

“Levi Ackerman, s-sir.” Levi repeated.

“Isabel Magnolia! Sir! Thank you for having us!”

“Furlan Church, Sir. Pleasure to meet you all.”

Pixis giggled at their enthusiasm and lack of etiquette.

“From tomorrow on, all new trainees will be transferred to the southern division to complete their training.”

Pixis stepped aside and another commander took over. He talked about other finances and adjustments, which Levi only half listened to, until they were all dismissed. Levi waited for most new trainees to leave, and finally talked to Isabel. The three friends decided to continue their conversation in a more private place and headed towards the cafeteria.

After most cadets and trainees were gone, Pixis approached Erwin, who was chatting with Hange and Mike. He called them over.

“You did a good job, Erwin,” the commander congratulated him.

Erwin smiled proudly. “Thank you, sir”

The man chuckled. “It’s crazy to think 4 years have already passed since you were all cadets. Look at you now, Corporal Zoe, Corporal Zacharias. And you, Erwin, recruiting new cadets.”

The three of them smiled.

“Mike,” continued Pixis. “I’m sending you to the southern division tomorrow. You’ll assist the commander there with the new trainees.”

“Me?! Why me, sir!?” Mike protested. “It was Erwin’s idea to bring them in. He should help train them. Plus, training has already started, they haven’t even gone through the basics…”

“They don’t need to learn how to hold a gun or shoot.” Erwin argued. “You have seen them in action, they are faster and more skilled than any of the trainees. They just need to learn discipline.”

Pixis nodded. “Besides, Erwin is going somewhere else.”

“I am?” He asked, surprised.

“Yes. You are going to Germany on a special mission.”

"Germany? But we haven't had any trouble with Germany since at least 20 years."

"It's a diplomatic mission. Don't worry, I'll explain more later."

The other three looked at each other, puzzled.

“Uh, what about me, sir?” Asked Hange. “You called me too, where are you sending me?”

“Oh no, you are staying here Hange. You still have a lot of work in the lab.” He said, then stepped closer to whisper to her ear. “I was just wandering about that drink you gave me last time, do you happen to have any more of that?”

“Yes. sir!” She said enthusiastically, eyes sparkling at someone finally appreciating her creations. “I’m glad you liked it! I have more in the lab!”

“Isn’t that just a mix of distilled drink?” Asked Mike.

Hange and Pixis ignored them and continued chatting lively on their way towards the lab.

The other two shrugged.

“Well,” said Erwin, “I guess I’ll see you in a couple of months.”

“Be careful.”

“You too. And try to get along with them.”

“Yeah, yeah”

-

In the cafeteria, Levi, Isabel and Furlan finally enjoyed their breakfast together.

“Oh, my goodness, this food is amazing,” Isabel said, licking her lips.

“Yes, well, don’t forget that’s paid with peoples’ taxes.” Levi stared at his food, skeptical.

“For Christ’s sake, just enjoy yourself for once without guilt.” She said, stuffing a chicken thigh in his mouth.

Levi chewed on it, and downed it with tea. “Fine, but I don’t approve. And you know I don’t eat that much in the morning.”

“How do they even have meat for breakfast?” Wondered Furlan, inspecting the food on his fork closely.

“Can we please talk about what we are going to do now?” Levi grunted.

“Yes. You are right.” agreed Furlan, putting his fork down. “Isabel, don’t get too comfortable here, we are not staying for long.”

“Oh…” she put her food down too now. “So, we are still doing it?” She lowered her gaze, slightly disappointed.

The other two looked at each other.

“Look,” Levi said, “first we’ll get rid of Erwin, claim our reward, and then we’ll escape. Just like we planned initially.”

“Well, we never planned to be in the army for that…” She observed. “There is high surveillance”.

“But think about it. It’s even easier, we’ll have Erwin around us all the time. Plenty of chances.” Noted Furlan.

The other two nodded, thoughtfully. Yet not fully convinced.

“Ok then, what else do you suggest?” Furlan asked.

“I mean, there’s always the possibility to stay here. We’ll be safe and won’t have to answer to anyone” Isabel threw Levi a look. She could feel he had already been considering it, even though he wouldn’t say it.

At that moment, Erwin came through the cafeteria’s door. The cadets around straightened up in their best behaviour and saluted, slightly concerned. When a sergeant went into the dinning area that early in the morning, it usually meant someone was in trouble.

Erwin searched for someone among the crowded tables. When Levi saw him, he changed subjects with his friends immediately, and looked down at his food, hoping Erwin wouldn’t notice them.

Erwin was now walking their way.

“Here you are,” Erwin said when he reached Levi’s table.

The three friends were already sliding their feet out of the seat to get on their feet.

“Please, don’t stand up. Enjoy your meal. I just came here to say goodbye.”

“What?” Levi frowned, puzzled.

“I’m off to Germany for a while. But don’t worry, I’m leaving you with someone of my trust.” He smiled faintly. “You’ve met Corporal Mike Zacharias.”

Levi scoffed. “You mean the bastard that threw me down the stairs and broke my ribs?”

Furlan kicked him under the table. Levi glared at him.

Erwin chuckled, amused. “Well, at least you have that in common”

Levi scowled, confused, almost offended.

“I mean he doesn’t like you either.”

“Great…” Levi said, taking a sip from his tea.

“Listen, you three. I have my hopes on you, don’t get into trouble. I really do think you three will be a valuable add to our team.”

The other three exchanged an awkward look, guilt eating them inside.

“Alright then. Farewell, for now.” Erwin said, putting on his cap.

“Goodbye, sir.” Isabel and Furlan nodded.

Levi remained silent as he watched him leave.

Once they saw him go through the door, they all let out a sigh of relief.

“You were saying?” Furlan raised his eyebrows at Levi.

“Piss off,” He said, putting his tea cup down.

Isabel grabbed her head in frustration. “Oh no, so that means we’ll be trapped here until who knows when.” She whined. “And what if he gets killed by someone else in the meantime?”

“Then we are screwed,” said Furlan

“Listen, we’ll stay here and do our part until he comes back. If anything, these next months will serve us to become stronger with the training.”

The other too nodded.

“To hell with it”

“Let’s do it”

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

_January, 1909_

_Southern Division_

Winter came again. Rain pouring outside the barracks, a flood of biblical proportions. The training had been called off for the day, and most of the trainees spent their time lying on their beds to recover from the hard days of training. Some of them killed time writing to their families. A few others played cards in the common areas. Nothing much to do indoors.

Levi looked forward to days like this, where he could finally find time to clean or chat with Furlan and Isabel. He had gotten used to the routine during weekdays, and particularly enjoyed the solitude of Sunday mornings, when most people left to see their families or attended mass at church. Today, however, the barracks were busy with jobless soldiers.

Levi used his free time to change his bedsheets and dust the area where Furlan and him slept on one side of their shared room. Beside him, Furlan watched him from his bed, legs crossed, foot moving in circles for entertainment.

When Levi moved his bed to sweep under it, he found a piece of cloth lying around. He picked it up and was surprised to see Erwin’s handkerchief. He recalled having washed it and put away some time ago. It must have slipped onto the floor at some point, he thought, forgetting he had it. For most of the time, Levi even forgot how he ended up where he was right now.

It had been more than six months since he and his friends joined the army. Six months, and no news from Erwin. At times, Levi wondered if Erwin was still alive. He was curious about what he would be doing in Germany, about if it had anything to do with what Erwin had discovered about the weapon trafficking. But his only connection with him was Mike, who ignored Levi every time he asked him about.

Most of the time Levi was simply glad that he never had to deal with his former employer again. No more deals, no more clients, no more having to fear the man who hired them to get rid of Erwin. The man must have forgotten about him and his friends, Levi hoped, optimistic, and the subject was never mentioned again. As if it were some sort of silent agreement between the three.

The past few months had been very quiet, something Levi not always had the pleasure to enjoy. It was easy to get comfortable with a roof over his head and food on his table at the end of the day, and all of it without having to risk their lives for it. The training was hard, but it paid off well. Except for the times Levi was punished for getting into fights with other trainees, everything had been going smoothly. Especially now that his punishments for disrespect of authority had been considerably reduced.

“What is that?” Furlan’s voice brought him back from his thoughts and into reality. He reached for the handkerchief Levi was holding.

“Nothing, it’s… it’s nothing,” Levi rushed to hide the cloth in his pocket, suddenly remembering the situation in which it ended in his hands. The humiliation was too fresh in his mind to put it into words for Furlan to hear.

“Whose is it?” Furlan insisted, now curious with Levi’s reaction. He caught Levi’s arm, trying to take the cloth from him. “Is it from a lady? Come on, let me see.”

“Furlan. No. Stop… Stop it.” Levi elbowed him away, but Furlan continued teasing and giggling.

They only stopped when they heard a group of men laughing loudly at them from the other side of the room. They were playing cards and had been watching them for a while. When they turned to the group, the men subtly looked down back at their cards.

“Enough of this,” said Levi, giving Furlan a smack on the head. Then put the handkerchief away in his pocket.

Furlan pouted yet said nothing. He lied on his bed again, back to his boredom.

Levi continued to make his bed in silence.

“Look at him,” he heard a man whisper. “The freak is cleaning again.”

Levi ignored them. He was used to those comments at this point and had never cared for them. He continued to brush his hand meticulously over the bedcover to get rid of the wrinkles.

“He hasn’t talked to anyone other than his friends in six months. He thinks he is better than us, when he is just scum from the slums.” The man continued. The rest laughed.

“And have you seen the other guy?” He continued “He looks like a faggot. You reckon he’s his brother, or his whore? And the girl? I bet she was also a whore-”

Levi walked to them in silence. His steps slow yet firm, a hard expression on his face. Before anyone could laugh again, Levi gave the man a quick, solid kick on his face.

Blood sprayed all over the cards. The man landed unconscious on the floor.

It all happened too fast. There was a moment of silence, then everyone turned to Levi in astonishment.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” One of the group said, getting on his feet.

Levi replied with his knee to his stomach before the man could even fully stand, sending him several meters away. He landed on another man’s lap. The rest of the group now got on their feet and charged against Levi.

At this point everyone else in the room got up to intervene, grabbing both Levi and the other five men fighting him, trying to stop them.

Levi got pushed and jabbed several times, yet once he managed to take someone down to his knees, he continued to kick him brutally on the floor. He did not stop until he heard Furlan’s voice behind him holding his arms.

“Enough, Levi, you are going to kill him…”

It was only then that Levi realized how much of his own blood was there on the floor. He wiped his bloodied lips with his sleeve, feeling the pain of several bruises suddenly all over his skin.

A second later, they heard someone suddenly storming in.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

They all turned in silence.

It was Hange who had just come in after hearing the ruckus out in the hallway.

Everyone in the room stopped, stood up straight and saluted solemnly.

Hange studied the situation, scanning the room. Levi and other five men were covered in blood and bruises. Hange let out a frustrated sigh, then asked again.

“Well?” She demanded, hands resting on her hips.

A man in the corner of the room, who had been watching everything, begun to talk. “These five men were being disrespectful to Levi. They said-”

“Shut up,” Levi cut him off.

Hange’s eyes travelled from Levi to the other five.

“If anyone feels like starting a fight again, you’ll think it about it twice if you don’t want to be cleaning bathrooms until you graduate. You are all grown-ass men, this is not a school.”

The five men exchanged awkward looks.

Hange continued. “Now, as for you people… you can start cleaning right now.”

The five men scanned her from head to toe, hesitant.

“Who are you to give us orders?” One of them argued.

Hange’s face darkened. She stepped forward and gave the man a clean blow on his already bruised face, leaving him half conscious on the floor.

“Anyone else has something to say?”

The men shook their heads in haste.

“Now go! Or I’ll call the commander!”

The rest of the men helped the wounded up from the floor and dragged him out of the room.

Hange now glared at Levi.

“I said all of you! You too!”

“Huh?!”

Hange now grabbed Levi by his shirt, forcing him to step on his toes to shorten the height difference. “You can’t just react like that every time someone annoys you! You know how many letters I’ve received from Mike complaining about you!? I’m tired of seeing him rant!”

“Tch,” Levi scoffed.

“Go!” Hange let go of him and watched him leave in silence.

She let out a sigh of relief, bringing a hand to her forehead. Speaking harshly drained all her energy. No matter how many times she did, she could never get used to it.

“By the way, sir,” Furlan said, “weren’t you supposed to be at the headquarters in London? What brings you here?”

Hange gasped, suddenly remembering something. “Oh shit, I forgot to tell him.” She ran out the door to chase him. “Levi! Wait! Levi!”

-

When Hange caught up with Levi he was already outside the bathroom getting ready to clean, tying a bandana to his head.

“Levi! Levi Ackerman!”

“Now what?” He rolled his eyes, without turning to her.

“Erwin has a message for you!”

“Erwin?” Levi’s heart skipped a beat at that unexpected name.

Hange stopped for a second to catch her breath, hands resting on her knees.

“Oh, right… we’ve met before, but I’ve never formally introduced myself.” She offered him her hand and a wide smile. “Hange Zoe! Scientist and doctor conducting research in the army!”

Levi stared at her with empty eyes, apathetic.

“Anyhow… news is, Erwin came back from Germany and he’s being promoted to Captain.”

“Good for him,” Levi said, indifferent, covering his hair under the bandana and gearing up again to clean.

“Erwin asked me to come here and take you back to London with me. He needs you in his squadron.”

Levi stopped moving for a moment. “He said that?”

Hange put a hand up and crossed her heart. “Word by word.”

Levi turned to her, skeptical. “What about my friends? Do they have to come too?”

“He didn’t say, but I can ask him if you want-“

“Don’t. I don’t want them to come. It’s better if I go by myself.”

Hange squinted, slightly suspicious.

“So, what do you say?” She continued. “Isn’t that great news? You are almost done with your training, so I’ll wait for you until you graduate and then we’ll leave.”

Levi Shrugged. “Fine by me”

-

_February, 1909_

The day came when Levi completed his training and finally had to leave the place that had become his home for the past months. He was particularly nervous as he packed his few belongings in his rucksack. It was the first time he would be away from his friends for a long time.

Furlan and Isabel had opposed the idea at the beginning, arguing they would go with him. But he somehow convinced them to let him go by himself. He would do whatever job he had to, then come back to them. He wanted to keep them away from danger for as long as he could. He would write to them often, he promised.

In the train, Hange talked restlessly all the way to London. Levi was glad he didn’t have to do the talking. He relaxed on his seat, submerged in his own thoughts, wondering what Erwin had called for him. A sudden feeling of unease took over him as they were closer to the city. He recalled the last day they had been there. The worried faces of Furlan and Isabel as he entered the wagon to talk to their supplier. What had become of him? Would he run into the man again? Levi and his friends had been safe until then, sheltered in the comfort of the countryside. But the closer he got to the city, the more anxious he became. Furlan and Isabel had not mentioned anything about their job in months now. Levi assumed they had already decided to stay in the army. Feelings of uncertainty and fear battled in his chest, debating if that was what he really wanted himself. He decided to leave those thoughts for another day, forget about it for now and focus on whatever Erwin had to ask from him.

Back into the grim streets of London, Levi began to appreciate the south more. He would be missing the endless fields of nothing but grass and trees that surrounded the southern division. He told himself to get used to the idea of this being his new home from the time being. 

“I’ll show you to your room,” Hange said once in the headquarters’ building.

“My room?”

“Oh, yeah, you have a private room. Not many people stay here, since most have their own place in the city, so there are plenty of spare ones. I figured you didn’t plan to go back to… you know-“

“I’m fine with anything…” he rushed to answer, avoiding engaging in a conversation.

Hange forced an awkward smile, then had him follow her into his room.

“They are holding a small ceremony tomorrow for Erwin’s promotion,” she said. “Make sure to be there at 10.”

Levi nodded, indifferent, placing his knapsack on the dresser. Only after Hange bid goodnight and left the room, Levi relaxed on the bed.

He lied there staring at the ceiling for a while. It was the first time he had a room for himself in his life. The quietness was overwhelming at first, yet he learned to enjoy the peace little by little. He looked around. There was not much furniture other that a night table, the dresser and a small, old desk. What would he need a desk for? He hated writing; he barely knew how to write properly anyway. He sighed with resignation. He had no excuses not to write to his friends now, he thought. He rolled to the side and inspected the night table closely. He ran a finger on the surface and was pleased to see there was no dust on it.

 _This will do for now,_ he told him self before he sunk into the deepest sleep he had had in years.

-

Levi was not sure why he was feeling so anxious as he stood in a line with the rest of the cadets, awaiting for commander Pixi’s speech. He had been used to seeing the same faces for six months. Even if they were faces he disliked. Today he did not have Isabel around to worry about, or Furlan to argue with. He found himself alone with his thoughts for longer than anytime in the past few years.

His tense shoulders slightly dropped as he saw familiar face, watching Hange walk to the front, followed by Erwin.

Levi hadn’t seen Erwin in months. Bushy eyebrows and sharp eyes just as he remembered him. His hair slightly shorter on the sides. For a moment, Levi almost hoped Erwin would turn to him and see how different he looked since they last time they talked. He wondered if Erwin would even remember how he looked like. If he knew he was there watching him.

The ceremony started. A short speech glorifying the army made Levi cringe internally, yet he remained serene as he watched. The commander placed a badge on Erwin’s jacket, congratulating him for his efforts and virtues. A round filled the room.

The ceremony came to an end quicker than Levi expected. The rest of the soldiers saluted, pledging allegiance to the army and to their new captain. Only then Erwin’s gaze fixed on Levi.

Levi shuddered at Erwin’s sudden stare. He struggled to hold his gaze as he said the words. Of course Erwin knew he was there. He had called for him personally after all. He wondered about his intentions and his heart raced with intrigue.

When they were dismissed, Levi half wished for Erwin to call him over, to explain why he had asked him to come. But none of that happened. Instead, he watched Erwin disappear behind the door that led to his new office.

-

Levi spent the rest of the day walking around the headquarters. It was a fairly new building. Busier than the southern division, with plenty of common areas, yet no yard. It even had a small library and a gymnasium, where soldiers trained in their free time. Levi passed by the library and stopped in front of the door. He had never been very fond of books. In fact, he barely even knew how to read. He had been much more interested in learning how to hold a knife as a child. In the slums, a weapon was more useful than a book.

He peeked through the door, out of curiosity. Endless shelves with leather-covered books, a few empty tables, and two statues ornamenting in the back of the room. He was thankful nobody was using the library at that time of the day, and walked in to inspect the place. He stopped in front of the statues, admiring the smoothly carved renaissance bodies. He thought it odd to display nude men in a library at first, for he had never seen a work of art like that in the slums. He contemplated the men’s perfect muscles for another moment, and admired the smoothness portrayed from just a piece of solid rock. Never had he seen such beauty before. It seemd to him like something not human.

“Good afternoon, sir. May I help you find something?” An old man suddenly asked from behind him. Levi guessed he was the librarian.

“No, I- I was just leaving, thank you.”

Levi rushed outside, and decided then that the gym would be the more suitable option for him to spend his time.

The gym was located in the basement. A large room with very little in it, except for some equipment – ropes, punching bags and sorts - and a few wodden structures that worked as benches. Levi stood quietly in a corner, looking around first, hesitant. A group of men sparred on one side, while others simply jogged around and continued with calisthenics. Levi debated if it was alright for him to train there. He had not been instructed to do anything yet, other than being assigned for guard duty on some nights. When he finally decided it was fine to use his spare time as he pleased, he undressed to only his undershirt and pants, and warmed up with a run around the room.

The running helped him clear his mind. The heat of his body kept his senses under control, the slight pain on his calves kept him alert. He was most calm when he was training.

After a few minutes Levi went down to the floor to continue with push ups. The muscles of his back tensed at the tremendous speed with which they were worked. The few men around him turned to him, impressed by his agility.

“Hey,” a man with light hair and a funny hair cut turned to him, he was slightly older than him. “New around here?”

One of the things Levi despised was unwanted attention from strangers. “Yeah,” he said in a dry tone and continued to work out.

“Same. I just started my training. This place is disgusting.”

Levi pretended to listen to him rant, uninterested, as he continued doing sit ups.

“I’m Oruo, by the way,” The man said.

Levi took a deep breath in a great effort to be polite. “Levi,” he said, then got up to move somewhere else.

He decided to watch a group of men who were sparring on the other side of the room as an excuse to get away from him as much as possible.

A few men gathered around a pair who sparred energetically. Levi walked closer to take a better look, standing behind a row of spectators.

To his surprise, he saw Erwin sparring with another man.

“I give up, sergeant!” The man yelped, forearms tight over his face for protection. Erwin was throwing jabs restlessly at him.

“It’s Captain now!” Corrected him someone from the crowd.

The man’s legs gave in, dropping to the floor. “Sorry, Captain!”

Erwin chuckled, catching his breath, then let the man go. He offered his hand to him and helped him up.

Levi stared in silence. He could tell Erwin trained hard from the times he had fought him before. But he never imagined how toned he was. He thought of the sculptures he had seen outside of the library and imagined him being sculped by the gods. The exposed muscles of his long limbs and abs enhanced by his ridiculous height. Levi felt suddenly self-conscious of his own body, and his eyebrows furrowed. He would not let himself get intimidated by a snob like him so easily.

Without giving it too much though, Levi removed his damped undershirt and stepped forward, moving the men out of his way to stand in Erwin’s sight. Then threw his undershirt on the floor at Erwin’s feet.

Erwin turned, his expression darkened when he realized it was Levi who had challenged him to a fight.

They held their gazes for a moment, everyone else in silence around them. Levi shuddered at the uncertainty of how Erwin would react to the challenge.

To his surprise, Erwin slowly shifted to a fighting stance. A serious expression n his face.

Levi smirked, then prepared himself to fight as well.

They circled around, feet traveling lightly. Both their fists hovering over their faces, hesitant to give the first blow.

It was Erwin who finally gave the first strike.

Levi easily dodged, countering with a high kick. He did not expect Erwin to take it, blocking it with his arm.

Levi stepped back and smirked at him.

Erwin returned a shy smile.

“It’s been a while, Levi,” he finally said. “I can see you haven’t been wasting your time. Training seems to have paid off,” he said, scanning him from head to toe. Hard muscles of Levi’s torso dripping with sweat.

Levi felt suddenly exposed, undressed by Erwin’s gaze. He moved around restlessly with fast, feline steps. “Are we gonna fight or what?”

Erwin grinned, hungry eyes staring at him.

Levi was the one to strike this time. A series of quick jabs which Erwin managed to block, forced to step back. Levi waited for an opening and sweep the floor with his leg to trip Erwin over. Erwin landed on his back, bringing his hands to his face for protection. Levi was already sitting on his stomach, throwing fists frantically at him.

Erwin tried to move to the side, but Levi clutched his knees on each side of his hips. Erwin became suddenly weak. His arms were starting to feel fatigued. At this rate, Erwin would lose if he did not do something.

In a quick movement, Erwin lifted his hips from the floor to roll to the side, forcing Levi to switch positions. He pushed Levi down againts the floor with his entire bodyweight. Their bare chests slipping against each other with sweat with every moment.

Levi threw his fists around helplessly, Erwin hiding his face in Levi’s shoulder to avoid them. He waited for Levi to get tired, then caught one of his wrists, bringing his free arm to Levi’s throat, pressing down to choke him.

“Tripping is out of the rules in boxing,” Erwin protested. Levi panted heavily underneath him.

“What rules?” he grunted.

Erwin chuckled. “You still have a lot to learn.”

He felt Levi struggling to break free again.

“Don’t be a sore loser.” Erwin advised, pressing harder against him.

Levi gasped for air. Eyes squeezing at the pain in his throat.

Erwin watched his face go red from lack of oxygen, and suddenly scared off. He loosened his arm and Levi went into a cough fit, then remained still on the floor catching his breath. Head dropped to the side, eyes closed, eyebrows knitted. Erwin felt Levi's chest puff agaisnt him, his breath uneven.

Without moving, Levi threw Erwin a side look. "Are you just going to stay there and stare?", he hissed, still panting.

Erwin felt a sudden feeling of unease in his guts, oddly aroused. Disturbed by this unknown feeling, he finally let Levi go, moving away a little.

He pulled himself together, then gave Levi a friendly pat on the cheek before he got on his feet.

“Well fought,” he said, offering Levi his hand.

Levi sat up and gave him a deadly glare, wiping the sweat of his forehead with his wrist. “Don’t you fucking patronize me,” he muttered, low enough only for Erwin to hear him. He was disgusted by the idea of a man almost his same age talking down to him like that, unable to see Erwin’s intention.

Erwin sighed. “Like I said, still a lot to learn,” he insisted, his hand still open in front of Levi, persistent. “Starting with manners.”

Levi grunted with resignation, then finally took his hand. Erwin gave him a smile of satisfaction, patting Levi’s shoulder.

Levi held his gaze for another moment, trying to decide if it was the right moment to ask him all the questions he had. By the time he had decided to open his mouth, it was Erwin the one who spoke first.

“I hope you are finding your new room comfortable.”

“It’s alright,” Levi admitted.

“I’m glad,” said Erwin, then walked away to pick up his clothes, getting ready to leave.

Levi’s hand stretched as if reaching for him, only to quickly go to the back of his neck to scratch it awkwardly.

He watched Erwin walk out of the gym, and with him his opportunity to answer his questions slipping away through the door.

“Fuck-“ he muttered.

“Levi, that was great!” The man from before now stood beside him. “You almost beat the Captain!”

“Please just… just shut the fuck up,” Levi hissed, then left to his room.

-

The second night was not as easy as the first one. He was not as tired or overwhelmed and it took him a much longer time to fall asleep. The following night, the silence in his room became unbearable. He was dying to get a job. Anything. Even cleaning would make him feel better, but his room was sparkling clean. He had to find something to do or he would go insane. He was thankful he was on night shift to keep guard for the next two nights.

On his first night off after that, Levi decided to wander around the city. He had been to downtown a few times before to meet with clients, but he never really cared to look around and see what was there to enjoy. He walked the busy streets until he entered the first bar he saw. It was an Irish pub. Nothing too different from the ones he had been in the Devil’s Acre. He felt the urge to visit the area, his old neighbourhood, but reason spoke louder to him. There was nothing there for him anymore, except death.

He drank his beer in silence while he watched a few men go downstairs to the basement. Strangely, none of them seemed to come up anytime soon. Curious, he followed a group of men downstairs.

It was a fighting arena, where people bet on fighters who participated for money.

“Are you here to fight?” A man at the entrance asked.

“No, just to watch,” he said, standing on a corner.

He watched a few fights as he finished his beer, imagining himself out there in the rink. He was itching for a fight. Everyone seemed quite weak to him, most of them men in their forty ’s that he could take down in a few minutes. Yet reason governed him again, advising against it. He would limit himself to watch, he promised. He did not really need the money now that he had a room and a decent wage, so he desisted of the idea. At least he had found some sort of entertainment for his long nights of boredom, he told himself.

-

The next morning the waiting and uncertainty became too much. If Erwin did not come for him, he would go to him, and he would make sure Erwin would not enjoy it.

As soon as he stepped outside his room, Hange was waiting for him.

“Levi!” She called, excessively loud, waving at him enthusiastic as always.

“It’s too early for this,” he muttered to himself.

“Oh? You look like shit! Did you not sleep well last night?”

Levi sighed. “What do you want from me, four eyes?”

“Really? That’s the best name you can come up with?” She laughed, amused, “How old are you, five?”

Levi took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head to remain calm.

“Relax, I’m joking.” She said, “I have a job for you.”

Levi turned to her, eyebrows rising with curiosity. “Yeah?”

Hange gave him a thick envelope with something inside.

“Can you get this to Erwin for me? He’s been working in his office since last night. He probably hasn’t even had breakfast. Oh! And could you also get him some coffee on your way there?”

Levi’s little hope for entertainment was immediately wiped off his face. He took the package, practically snatching it from her hands, and headed to the dinning area.

-

In his office, Erwin slept soundly with his head resting on the desk.

He jumped at the sound of someone knocking at the door.

“Shit-” he muttered, rushing to organize the papers spreaded all over his desk. He had dozed off for a few minutes, unintentionally.

He checked his pocket watch; it was 8.25 and he had a meeting with Commander Pixis at 9. He panicked at all the incomplete reports in front of him that he had to finish before the meeting. He patted the table searching for his pen to get back to work right away.

Someone knocked at the door again.

Erwin let out a sigh, the least he needed right now was someone to interrupt him.

“Yes?” Erwin grunted, aggressively.

“It’s Levi…” his voice shy behind the door.

_Levi?_

Erwin accommodated himself on his seat, brushing his hair back with his hand. He adjusted the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Come in,” he said, shifting his gaze to the papers as he scribbled on them.

Levi struggled to open the door with an envelope under his arm and a cup of tea in his other hand.

“There’s a package for you,” he heard Levi say.

“Leave it over there, thank you.” Erwin indicated, without turning to him.

Levi flinched, annoyed, still holding the cup of tea in his hand. “Hange asked me to get you this,” he hissed, leaving it on the desk for Erwin to see it.

“Tell her thanks, but I prefer coffee.” his eyes still fixed on the papers as he signed one after another.

Levi scoffed. “You’re gonna die young if you keep living on coffee and no sleep, you know?”

Erwin smiled faintly, “That’ll be all, thank you.”

Levi felt the last bit of his patience leave his body.

“No. That will not be all…” he grunted, resting his hands on the desk. He waited for Erwin’s reaction, yet he waited in vain.

Levi now reached for his knife in his pocket and stabbed the table with it to get Erwin’s attention.

Erwin watched the tea spill over the desk. Only then he turned his gaze to Levi.

“Why did you bring me here? Huh? You think I’m your fucking secretary?” He grunted, bending to Erwin’s eye level. Eyes as blue as he remembered, staring at him.

After another moment Erwin lowered his gaze again. He signed a paper, then handed it over to Levi.

“Our first mission is tomorrow. We leave at eight in the evening,” he said, then returned to reviewing more reports.

Levi grabbed the paper, reluctantly, and skimmed through it. His other hand still on his knife.

“And I would rather you don’t do that…” Erwin said, politely, gripping Levi’s hand tightly as he removed the knife from the table. “You are damaging the army’s property.”

"Tch..." Levi put his knife away. Half embarrassed, half satisfied. “Yes, _sir,_ ” he muttered behind a grin, ironically. His jaw tightened.

“Dismissed.”

Levi touched the tip of his fingers to his forehead in a lousy salute, then turned to leave.

Just before he crossed the door, Erwin spoke again.

“And Levi…”

Levi stopped to look at him over his shoulder.

“Next time you do something like that I’ll break your legs.”

It was a good thing Erwin was not looking, because Levi would not have been able to hide his smile. He had bothered him, he knew it. He had pushed him, and it had worked. As long as he remained respectful and obedient, Erwin would let him be. If he had to play the role, he was going to play it well.

“Of course, captain. My bad.” He said, politely.

Erwin continued to write until he heard him leave. Only when he heard the door close, Erwin put his pen down and shook his head from side to side.

-

The day went by smoothly for Levi after that. He finally had a job. He felt so energized, he even found the motivation to write to his friends.

He was sitting at his desk staring at a blank piece of paper, poking his chin with a pen as he let the words come to him.

“ _Deer Isabel and Furlan,”_

He read out loud as he scribbled in messy handwriting and poor spelling.

“ _I am riting to you from my new desc…_ ”

A sudden knock on the door made him lose his train of thought.

“Yes?” he said, crumpling the paper and putting everything else away in the desk’s drawer. He wondered who would be visiting at this time in the evening.

“May I come in?” A familiar, squeaky voice behind the door.

“Hange?” Levi asked, getting up.

Hange came in and quickly closed the door behind her.

“Oi-“ Levi protested, “I didn’t say you could-“

“Hi! Did I catch you in a bad moment?”

“N-no. Not really.”

“Great!” She said, sitting on the bed with confidence. “So it’s a good time to chat! I have a lot of questions for you, I’ve been saving them for when you came back…“

“What do you think you are doing in my room…?”

Levi listened to her shoot one question after another, without paying attention, then sighed with frustration.

“Do you ever stop talking?” he asked.

Hange laughed, amused. “You really are like a grumpy, old man, Erwin was right.”

Levi chuckled in an ironic way, offended. “He said that?”

“He also said we would get along because you are as weird as I am. Science freak; cleaning freak. He likes strange people.”

“Get out.” He snarled, “This is not appropriate.”

Hange burst in laughter.

“Oh, come on, there is nothing wrong with two soldiers enjoying a little chat. Don’t worry, I would never go after a man shorter than me.”

“Fuck off, four eyes.”

“Besides, I got you something.” She threw him a glass bottle, which Levi barely caught. He took a closer look, there was no label on it.

“What the fuck is this?”

“My newest creation,” she said, taking out another bottle for herself, raising it to cheer. “To tomorrow’s mission.”

He glared with disapproval.

“What? It’s good luck to drink before a mission. You didn't know that?” She lied with confidence.

“Fine...” He said, sitting on the chair, far away from her.

Hange took a long drink, feeling the alcohol into her body real quick.

“Wow, hot in here, isn’t it?” She said, feeling a rush of blood to her face. She removed the jacket of her uniform and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of her shirt to let some air in.

Levi brought the bottle to his mouth, yet a second later he spit all the liquid out, almost choking on his liquor at the sudden sight of Hange’s half-exposed chest.

“You’re… a… a woman?”

Hange raised an eyebrow at him. “Of course I am. What did you think I was?”

Levi now stared at her, confused, eyes wide open. He had always seen her in men’s clothes, even as a civilian. She wore short hair in a masculine fashion. The other few women he had seen in the army wore a different uniform. He recalled Isabel and the other girl in his division as trainees, the typical skirt and blazer worn by secretaries and telegram operators. He definitely perceived Hange as strange for a man, but he never imagined she was a woman.

“I… I don’t know, I never… I thought you were just…eccentric.” He admitted.

Hange shrugged. “I don’t really care, to be honest. I’ve never looked at myself as a woman anyway. So I don’t mind being mistaken as a man. Most people don’t even notice. But of course the commanders and other higher ranks know I’m a woman.”

“How did you end up in the army then?” Levi asked, intrigued, finally taking a sip from his bottle. The taste was strange yet not unpleasant. “I’ve never seen a female doctor. A nurse perhaps, but not in the army.”

“Yes, well, times are changing. There's been a few female doctors, you just don't know about them,” she said, taking another sip. “I learnt from my dad, he was a doctor. I am an only child, so I always used to help him in his research.”

“It’s good that your family supports you,” Levi noted.

“Oh, my mother disapproves, she wants me to get married and be a housewife. And my dad’s dead now. He died in South Africa. The war took him years ago.”

Levi was surprised by how openly she spoke, appreciating her honesty. He thought of his own parents, and secretly admired her for maintaining such an optimistic spirit. 

“My father did too,” he finally said.

“Really?”

Levi shrugged. “Or so I was told by my mother, anyway … I never met him.”

Hange smiled faintly, then raised her bottle again. “To our fathers”

Levi said nothing yet raised his bottle to cheer with her.

“I’m from a small village near Birmingham.” Hange continued. “So after my dad passed away, the farm was too much work for a mother and her child. My dad’s brother took over the farm for us as we moved to London with my mom’s family. I was around ten. That was when I met Erwin.”

She paused, and a warm smile stretched over her lips.

“We were good friends, and when he decided to enlist, he helped me to get in”

Levi cleared his throat, feeling suddenly awkward.

“So,” He begun, “You and Erwin. Are you…?”

Hange scowled, confused. “Are we what?”

Levi shrugged. “You know, like… a couple?”

“Oh! You thought- Oh! no, no, no!” She now burst in laughter, tears of joy running down her face. “He is my best friend. We have known each other for years! I could never look at him like that.”

“I see…”

“Besides, I consider myself married to my job, I don’t have time for men. Or women.”

Levi was not sure what she meant by that but nodded either way.

“But enough about me,” Hange continued, “What about you? Tell me about what you used to do before joining the army. How did you get into a gang? How did you get involved with weapon trafficking? Do you still have any contact with any of your clients or employers?”

Levi turned to her, slightly surprised by the drastic change of subjects. She was smiling at him, yet her eyes were dead serious. He chuckled, impressed by her sharp eye.

“You are a lot smarter than you look, four eyes. I was not aware this was an interrogation. You should have started off with that.”

Hange fixed her glasses with a grin on her face. “I just like to know who I am working with and who I can trust.”

“And what’s your verdict?”

“Tomorrow we’ll see.” Hange now got on her feet and grabbed her jacket. “For now, I’ll say good night.”

“Thanks for the liquor,” he said, watching her leave.

Hange waved goodbye without turning and closed the door behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Hange is canonically non-binary, but I thought it would be interested to have her as a female character that challenges gender roles from that time! Any thoughts?
> 
> And the ship is getting ready to sail folks! Slowly cooking in the oven. Medium-rare? or well-done? :P


End file.
